Publication

Much of the discourse about the transition in Afghanistan has focused on the ability of the Afghan security sector to repel insurgent attacks. Other areas such as civilian capacity building, economic opportunities, trade, transit and investment-all that would potentially change the narrative of Afghanistan from being an aid-dependent state to a self-sustaining economy-have received much less attention. The author underlines that the economic component will be critical in shoring up Afghanistan’s institutional capacities and bringing in long-term stability.